PINAY GIRL POWER (top left, clockwise) Aiah Arceta, Maloi Ricalde, Jhoanna Robles, Sheena Catacutan,Gwen Apuli, Stacey Sevilleja, Colet Vergara and Mikha Limcomprise Bini, the P-pop group that successfully leveraged the power of social media and cultivated an image rooted in female empowerment, self-love and pride for Filipino talent. —PHOTO FROM BINI FB PAGE
From producing pop hits to leading venture capitals and besting international chess giants, the achievements of 14 Filipinos earned them spots in this year’s edition of Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30 Asia” list.
The selection from the Philippines includes the eight-member girl group BINI, illustrator Renren Galeno, businesswomen Ysabel Chua and Raya Buensuceso, food sustainability advocate Anna Beatriz Suavengco, medical doctor Jasper Ruby Vijar and chess prodigy Daniel Quizon.
They joined around 300 other individuals across Asia who were cited for exuding excellence in their respective fields at a relatively young age.
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Each year, Forbes selects young entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers for the coveted list.
BINI—composed of Gwen Apuli, Aiah Arceta, Sheena Catacutan, Mikha Lim, Maloi Ricalde, Jhoanna Robles, Stacey Sevilleja and Colet Vergara—was recognized in the 10th iteration of the list for “making waves in the music and entertainment industry.”
BINI was cited alongside South Korean boy group Stray Kids and singer-actor Cha Eun-woo.
The octet, formed in 2019 through ABS-CBN’s Star Hunt Academy, has blossomed in popularity, making hits, such as “Pantropiko,” “Salamin, Salamin” and “Huwag Muna Tayong Umuwi.”
Recently, BINI, from the Tagalog term “binibini” (a young girl), surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, cementing them as one of the most successful Filipino artists in recent history. (See In the Know)
Davao-based visual artist Galeno, 28, is behind the 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist in illustrated reporting and commentary, “Searching for Maura,” published in the Washington Post.
The magna cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman was honored for helping visualize and shed light on the injustice suffered by Filipinos during the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.
Social impact category
Now based in Singapore, 29-year-old Chua is vice president of venture capital firm Forge Ventures, which has a portfolio of 16 companies. She started as an associate before eventually overseeing five investments, such as Indonesian supply chain start-up Baskit, according to Forbes.
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Before joining Forge Ventures, Chua was chief of staff at PayMongo, a financial technology start-up in the Philippines. She was also a senior product manager at e-commerce giant Shopee.
Meanwhile, Buensuceso, also 29, is currently the managing director of Kaya Founders, another venture capital firm known for investing in start-ups across Southeast Asia.
Since Kaya’s launch four years ago, the Princeton University economics graduate has “been involved in every aspect of Kaya’s operations,” including research, marketing, strategy and investments.
Recognized under the social impact category, Suavengco is the brain behind the Urban Farmer television series, which teaches the audience how to cultivate their own hydroponic vegetable farms at home.
Like many wanting to widen their influence today, Suavengco released her first videos on TikTok at the height of the pandemic, during which she documented her rooftop gardens.
Forbes said the 24-year-old from Rizal province raised around $6,300 last year alone through Australian crowdfunding platform Lift Women. The proceeds were used to launch courses, produce free videos and hold on-site workshops for senior citizens.
Vijar, a 28-year-old doctor, cofounded nongovernment organization Team Dugong Bughaw in 2015 to raise awareness on sexual health-related issues.
Through his organization, he offered reproductive health education, free HIV tests and condoms to communities in the provinces of Aklan, Capiz and Iloilo.
Young grandmaster
The youngest Filipino on the list is Quizon, who, at 20 years old, is the reigning Filipino chess champion.
He is the latest chess grandmaster after beating 64-year-old Igor Efimov at the 45th Fide Chess Olympiad in Hungary in September 2024.
Quizon was also undefeated in the Asean+ Age Group Chess Championships in 2023.
10 categories
The 14 Filipinos on this year’s list join the hundreds of “Under 30” alumni who have been selected by Forbes Magazine for being the best in 10 fields or categories.
These are entertainment and sports; consumer enterprise and technology; social impact; finance and venture capital; artificial intelligence; industry, manufacturing and energy; retail and commerce; social media, marketing and advertising, and the arts; and health care and science.
Each category is judged by four industry leaders who score the candidates based on several factors, including funding, revenue, investors, stage, inventiveness and social impact, according to the magazine.
The process takes months of research and evaluation involving thousands of candidates, taking into the account the scale and impact of their accomplishments, as well as their potential for further success.
India has the most number of honorees so far in the Asia list with 94, followed by Australia with 32, China with 30, Japan with 25, South Korea with 23, and Singapore and Indonesia with 19 each.